When you cook with foods you truly love, the meal always comes out better, right? That's why we were so thrilled to hear Ree Drummond, aka Food Network's Pioneer Woman, give the low-down on her three favorite ingredients — because they're oh-so-relatable.

“Butter, cream, and bacon,” Drummond told TODAY in a recent interview. “That’s such a great foundation right there.” Yum — we couldn't agree more!

Although health enthusiasts might disagree with Drummond's go-to choices, butter, cream, and bacon are staple items in Oklahoma, where she lives with her husband and four kids, Alex, Paige, Bryce, and Todd. Considering Drummond is usually cooking to feed a full-on 433,000-acre cattle ranch staff, her choices make sense: Those cowboys need all the calories and energy they can get!

"For cowboys, eating is about refueling," Drummond told Redbook. "Chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes are no-brainers. I also make a mean chicken Parmesan. If they can't easily identify what's in it, they don't want it."

Let's not forget about flavor. Energy is important, but flavor definitely comes as a second priority. “Any kind of good bake goes with butter and bacon pretty well," Drummond added. And if you're new to baking your bacon (trust us — it will change your life), Drummond features a quick and easy how-to article on her blog The Pioneer Woman.

The best attribute of Drummond's three little ingredient stars is that they can be added to just about any dish out there. Whether you're making an Italian, Mexican, or Greek meal, there's definitely a place for cream, butter, and bacon. In fact, you can make an easy and delicious Pasta Carbonara using all three of these ingredients at once. So good!

Aside from cooking tips, Drummond also stresses that she never takes herself too seriously in the kitchen.

“The best piece of advice I’ve ever gotten is very trite: ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff,’” she told TODAY. “If you ruin the main course of a dinner party, it ain’t all that tragic. Just laugh!” Or you know, add butter, cream, and bacon.